Will Still: “I felt seriously bad towards Oscar Garcia – he’s never spoken to me again.”

Speaking on the High Performance podcast with Jake Humphrey, Stade de Reims manager Will Still gave some candid insight into the context surrounding his appointment as first team head coach last season, before embarking on a 15 game unbeaten streak which saw the half-Belgian half-English manager rise to prominence in European football. 

Will Still stepped up from assistant to head coach at Reims in the context of a personal tragedy surrounding the illness of Oscar Garcia’s daughter, as well as the side’s declining results. Still explained, however, that was contractually bound to take the job.

“I felt seriously bad towards Oscar, and still do. He’s never spoken to me again,” said Still, adding “I’ve tried to reach out a few times and since his daughter died a few months later.” 

When asked whether he thinks Oscar Garcia views Still taking the Reims job as a betrayal, the former Eupen boss said “Yes, I think so. I totally understand. I probably would have thought the same [in his position].”

“But I literally didn’t have a choice, I would have had to pay more than six hundred thousand pounds to get myself out of the club – but the club aren’t sacking me, so I can’t be loyal to you [Oscar Garcia].” 

“He was in a space which was really difficult at the time, and I had to go and win a game of football at the weekend. It was only PSG.” 

GFFN | George Boxall